The Last Call
by FleursdeLis
Summary: Cloud has a run in with Kadaj and his gang.


The sun slowly settled over the dusky horizon, glinting off the dust that seemed to hang in the air in the middle of this barren place. Cloud Strife stood, waiting, but for what, he didn't know. He took off his goggles that he wore when riding his motorcycle and swung his gargantuan sword off his back, holding it in the dying rays of the sun, watching as its light was reflected off the newly polished metal.

"I wish you here," he sighed. He didn't know who he was talking to specifically, only that he had lost two dear friends, and he found it difficult living on without them. Looking to the sky, he dropped his sword out of despair. _How can I be here when they are not?_ he cried in his thoughts.

The sun finally disappeared, and night took over. Stars began showing one by one, but there was no moon. It was very dark, all the rock and dirt were touched by shadow, and so Cloud decided it was time to go home. He bent down, heaved his sword back onto his back, and sat astride his motorcycle. Placing his goggles over his eyes, he saw something over the horizon. He lifted the goggles, thinking that they may have been smudged, but even when they were removed he still saw a speck of lighter area on the horizon where there should only have been darkness. _What is that?_ He wondered, but before he could go see what it was, his phone rang.

He looked down and saw Tifa's name, but decided to ignore it and head out to the speck. He placed his goggles back, brought the motorcycle to life, and sped off. The dust really began kicking up as Cloud reached speeds of over 100 mph, and so he didn't see the bikes pursuing him.

High beams flashed on, blinding Cloud momentarily. All he could see was bright light, and he knew it would take ages for him to gain his sight back in this darkness. Cursing softly to himself, he slowed down enough so that if they decided to make him crash he wouldn't be hurt too badly.

"Hey Cloud!" he heard over the roar of the engine.

"What do you want Kadaj?" Cloud had a sudden déjà vu back to when this happened before, back to when he had the geostigma, but this time there was only Kadaj and Loz. Where was Yazoo?

"To chat," Kadaj purred in fake innocence, "don't you want to chat?"

"Not really." He grumbled and noticed that he was able to see well in the darkness again, so sped up.

"Where ya going?" Loz had to yell for Cloud to hear him. Cloud didn't answer, but instead pushed his bike faster. He was going so fast now that if he even hit a stone in this wasteland he would most likely die.

Kadaj and Loz maneuvered to make a triangle with Cloud, positioning themselves in front of him, but Cloud recognized their bike models, and knew his could go much faster. Apparently they knew that too, because they closed in to each other, blocking an escape route from the front, and suddenly Cloud knew where Yazoo was: behind him.

He dared a look back while traveling at breakneck speeds, and sure enough, there was Yazoo, grinning like a wolf behind him. He had been waiting that entire time for Kadaj and Loz to come around to the front so he could close in on the back, leaving Cloud trapped like a fish in a net.

Cloud cursed to himself. He knew he had to find a way out of this trap, or they would kill him, but he didn't see how. Looking left, he saw an opening, but it was easy for Yazoo to close in and prevent him from escaping, and the same was for the right. When he noticed that, though, he came to a realization and formed his plan.

"Cloud!" Kadaj yelled. "Stop and have a talk!" His smile mirrored Yazoo's, and Cloud saw only pure malice in it. He shook his head, and as soon Kadaj looked ahead again, he made his move.

Cloud veered sharply to the left, watching in his mirror as Yazoo followed to block his path. He smiled to himself then, for he knew he had won. As soon as Yazoo had completely blocked his escape from the left, Cloud veered back to the right, but he didn't see Loz's cycle there, and rammed directly into him head on. The last thing he saw was the speck of light on the horizon before everything went dark.

_Ring ring ring. _Something was ringing, and it took a few minutes for Cloud to realize that it was his phone. He opened his eyes to a piercing bright light, and quickly shaded them with his hand. Or so he thought, but his hand never moved. _What happened?_ He thought.

_Ring ring ring. _There was his phone again. Who was it? He tried to grab his phone, but his arm wouldn't respond. He looked down and saw that his right arm had been dislocated and blood was staining the ground he lay upon. He reached over with his left hand to answer his phone, but, just before he opened it, the call ended. He looked at the ID, but he could barely read it, for the world seemed to be fading, but he was certain it said Tifa.

His strength failed him and his head collapsed back onto the ground. He stared up into the sky and saw the light of dawn turning the world slowly gray. He remembered what had happened; he had a tiff with Kadaj's gang and lost. _Where had Loz come from? Where was he now? He should be just as injured as me._

He tried again to sit up, but couldn't. He was just too tired. _Ring ring ring._ His phone was going off again, and for the first time in a long time, he brought it up to his ear and answered it.

"Hel-lo?" His voice cracked.

"Cloud?" It was Tifa. "I wasn't expecting you to answer."

"But still you called." He commented.

"I always call you. Where are you? You didn't come home last night." She sounded worried, and she should be.

"I've had…" his voice faltered with his failing strength, "an accident."

"Oh no!" He heard her suck in her breath. "What happened?"

"Kadaj." He had to put his phone on speaker, for he could no longer hold it up. He could feel his breaths becoming ragged and shallow as he struggled to breathe, and he knew he didn't have much longer. He could feel no pain, only the warmth of the sun and Tifa's voice. He remembered how he didn't answer her last night and regretted it instantly.

"Where are you?" She demanded.

"I'm not sure." He didn't want to tell her. Didn't want her to see him like this, broken and weak.

"Are you alright?" She was crying now, he could hear it in her voice and the way she tried to sound normal.

"I may not be home for dinner," he smiled a small smile, "do you think Marlene and Denzel will mind?" His voice was only a whisper now.

"No, I'm sure they won't. But what do I tell them? They'll expect an explanation." She knew what was happening, but Cloud knew she didn't want to admit it, so she went along with the charade that he would only be missing dinner that night.

"Tell them I've been called to work, SOLDIER needs me."

"I can barely hear you."

"Tifa…" the world was growing darker instead of lighter. The dawn was not coming as he hoped, or at least he wouldn't see it. "…can you see the sun?"

"Yes." Her voice broke.

"How does it…" he couldn't finish.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. He tried to tell her something else, but the thought was there and gone before he even knew he came up with it. The night closed in at last and all he could hear was Tifa talking to him through the phone. He felt the last bit of warmth the sun had to offer before he slipped into nothingness and Tifa's voice faded, leaving him feeling hollow.

"Cloud." A somber voice said his name, and Cloud felt like he knew the voice, but he'd never heard it sound like that. Slowly he opened his eyes to a white light and saw, to his disbelief, Zack. Zack Fair. And Aerith!

"Where's Tifa?" he asked. He remembered talking to her before he ended up here, so where had she gone?

"Cloud," Zack began, "You've, um…"

"You'll have to wait a bit for Tifa," Aerith intervened, and Cloud understood. The run in with Kadaj and his gang killed him. He was dead.


End file.
